Envelope



w. E. SWIFT Nov. 14, 1933.

ENVELOPE Filed March 9, 1932 Inventor lllllllllllllllllllllllllllll ll ufgia Swift by I A um-nay Patented Nov. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES ENVELOPE Willard E. Swift, Worcester, Mass, assignor to United States Envelope Company, Springfield, Mass., a corporation of Maine Application March 9, 1932." Serial No. 597,774

Claims. (01. 22978) The present invention relates to envelopes, particularly of the type in which a sealing flap is provided with a reenforcing patch, or stay, surrounding an opening for receiving the bend- 5 able tongues of a suitable metallic fastener carried by the rear wall of the envelope body.

According to the invention, an improved envelope is provided in which the stay on the sealing flap is suitably embossed, or recessed, into the sealing flap itself, so that an adhesive ap-' plied to the underside of the sealing flap will present an unbroken plane surface. Therefore, when the moistened gum of the flap and stay is pressed against the envelope body for the purpose of sealing the same, the thickness of the stay does not prevent a perfect seal from being obtained between the flap and the engaged wall of the envelope. Other advantages of the invention will more fully appear from the following description, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a portion of an envelope embodying the invention, with the sealing flap in open position.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective showing the envelope with its sealing flap closed.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on an enlarged scale along the line 3'-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 isa fragmentary sectional view along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.

Referring to the drawing, the invention is il lustrated as being embodied inan envelope 1, the rear wall 2 of which carries a metallic fastener 3 of any desired type. The fastener 3 preferably provides bendable tongues 4 which are adapted to be bent upwardly for entrance into an opening 5 provided in the sealing flap 6 of the envelope, shown in open position in Fig. 1.

In order to strengthen the edges of the flap opening 5 against tearing by the'tongues 4 of the fastener, a patch or stay '7 of relatively heavy paper, is applied to the sealing flap 6, and the present invention contemplates recessing or embossing the stay into the material of the flap itself, as indicated at 8 in Figs. 2 and 3. Ob- 'viously the embossing or recessing of the stay 7 can be performed either at the time of applying the stay to the sealing flap 6, or afterwards, as desired, either procedure resulting in the production of an envelope in which the exposed surface of the stay 7 is flush with the surrounding portions of the flap 6. Consequently, when an adhesive is applied to the flap 6 and stay 7, as

indicated at 9 in Fig. 1, the resulting gummed surface extends in an unbroken plane, the adhesive filling in around the edges of the stay, as shown inv Fig. 3.

When the envelope is closed by inserting the bent-up tongues 4 through the opening 5 and pressing the moistened flap 6 against the rear Wall 2 of the envelope body, the gummed portions of the flap 6 and stay 7 are adhered evenly to the envelope wall 2, as indicated in Fig.3. As 5 a result, a complete sealing of the envelope is obtained, particularly around the borders of the recessed stay '7; a result impossible of attainment were the thickness of the stay interposed between the engaged surfaces of the flap and envelope wall. I

I claim,

1. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope comprising a sealing flap having a reenforcing stay attached thereto, said stay being flush with the surrounding surface of said flap that is opposed to the envelope body when said flap is folded over for sealing. v

2. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope comprising a sealing flap having a reenforcing stay attached thereto, said stay being set into the material of said flap so that its exposed face lies in the same plane as the surface of said flap that is engaged with the rear envelope wall when said flap is folded over for sealing. s5

3. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope comprising a sealing flap having a reenforcing stay attached thereto, said stay and said flap providing gummed surfaces lying in the same plane.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope providing a sealing flap having a depression for the receipt of a stay, gummed surfaces of said flap and stay being adapted to engage the envelope body in the same plane when the flap 95 isclosed.

5. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope comprising a sealing flap having a depression formed in one face; to receive a stay, with gum applied to flush surfaces of said flap and said stay.

I WILLARD E. SWIFT. 

